What We Want Now: The Games People (Still) Play

Rita Sirignano, Swerve12.04.2012

I’ll Be The Horse’s Head: Brush up on your Brando imitation. In honour of the 40th anniversary of the release of The Godfather, Hasbro has released The Godfather Collector’s Edition Monopoly game where, instead of Park Place and Boardwalk, you’ll want to build hotels on the Corleone’s Long Island Home or Lake Tahoe Estate. $39.95 at Chapters Indigo, Chinook Centre, 403-212-0090, and select Chapters Indigo stores, chapters.indigo.ca.Handout
/ Swerve

Ciao Bambino: Uncle Goose Wood ABC Blocks come in a classic version, as well as lower case, and in foreign languages such as Italian and Korean. All are made of sustainable Michigan basswood and coloured with non-toxic inks. $55 a set from a selection at Steeling Home, 1010 17th Ave. S.W., 403-245-0777, steelinghomestore.com.Handout
/ Swerve

Fifteen Two, Fifteen Four: The beautiful designs on this cribbage board, handmade using a wax-batik-resistant process by artisans in central Java, may be just the impetus needed to learn the game. (It’s said to be an excellent way for kids to develop math skills.) The Wadang Cribbage Board is $60 at Ten Thousand Villages, 220 Crowchild Tr. N.W., 403-270-0631, and 8318 Fairmount Dr. S.E., 403-255-0553, tenthousandvillages.ca.Handout
/ Swerve

New Blocks on the Block: The latest toy craze for adults, Nanoblocks are micro-sized Japanese plastic blocks—the smallest measures just 4x4x5mm—that fit together like Lego to make miniature buildings, animals and musical instruments. They come rated by level of difficulty: the Eiffel Tower ($21.95) is an easy-peasy one; the electric guitar ($24.95) gets a two out of five. From a selection that includes the Taj Mahal, a German castle and a grand piano. At Livingstone and Cavell, 1124 Kensington Rd. N.W., 403-270-4165, extraordinarytoys.com.Handout
/ Swerve

No Paddle Required: Invited to a cabin in the woods for the weekend? These hand-painted poker and domino sets (and maybe a bottle of Canadian Club) would be the perfect gift. And they’ll look good on the fireplace mantle when the game’s over. Outside Inside Canoe dominoes ($29.98) and Canoe Poker ($38.98), from Campers Village, 7208 Macleod Tr. S.E., 403-252-3338, campers-village.com.Handout
/ Swerve

No Paddle Required: Invited to a cabin in the woods for the weekend? These hand-painted poker and domino sets (and maybe a bottle of Canadian Club) would be the perfect gift. And they’ll look good on the fireplace mantle when the game’s over. Outside Inside Canoe dominoes ($29.98) and Canoe Poker ($38.98), from Campers Village, 7208 Macleod Tr. S.E., 403-252-3338, campers-village.com.Handout
/ Swerve

Pop Puzzle: The Keith Haring, Double Retrospect, 32,000-piece puzzle by Ravensburger depicts 32 of Keith Haring’s paintings and when completed measures 544 x 192 cm (!). Weighing 19 kilograms, it comes with its own hand truck and is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest commercially available puzzle in the world. It’s also very difficult: there are only six colours, plus black and white. But, hey, it’s supposed to be a long winter. $399.99 at Games People Play, North Hill Shopping Centre, 403-288-6146, gamespeopleplay.ca. Hurry in, though; at press time there was only one in stock.Handout
/ Swerve

HELP! I need a vowel: I’m something of a Scrabble purist, and with the Scrabble Beatles edition you can still play the game old-school style. But there’s also an alternative version of the game included, with 26 Help! cards related to the Fab Four for bonus points. $39.99 at Games People Play, North Hill Shopping Centre, 403-288-6146, gamespeopleplay.ca.Handout
/ Swerve

I’m a huge Scrabble player, and play almost every day. My opponent is a guy in Vancouver I’ve only met once, when his plane was diverted to the YYC airport and he texted and asked if I wanted to meet him for coffee. At which point, we actually had a conversation in real time. Had there not been a snowstorm in Edmonton, he’d still be just a cyborg.

Ironically, there’s been a picture of a gaggle of texting teens floating around on the Internet lately, with the caption: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction, the world will have a generation of idiots.”—Albert Einstein. There’s little evidence Einstein ever said that, though he made comments in a similar vein. Made-up quote or not, point taken.

More people than ever before are playing games—online. But when was the last time you spent some ever elusive “quality time” with friends or family that was uninterrupted by someone texting or checking their email? Or actually sat across a table from someone and had one of those knock-’em-down, drag-’em-out competitions, full of cheating, arguments over whether proper names are a word, gossip, confessions and one too many glasses of wine?

With long winter nights and the holidays on the horizon, it’s time to put down your laptop or iPad and play a game with your kids, extended family or friends. It will be time well spent and remembered, long after your online game has vanished into the Internet ether. Here are just a few ideas for games, old and new, that would make great Christmas gifts.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.